The Cottage was released in 2008 and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. It is a horror comedy or as some people like to put it, a 'black comedy'. The plot is that two brothers have kidnapped a young woman for ransom and they take her to a (supposedly) abandoned cottage in the remote countryside.
The trailer starts off with a shot of a full moon against a dark blue sky and clouds starting to drift over it. All of these are horror conventions, especially the full moon which is normally used to represent supernatural activity.
Sound effects are then used to create a loud sound almost like a bang which helps to make the transition into the next scene less erratic, there is a birds eye view shot of a car winding along a long road which is surrounded by a forest. This helps to show the audience that this trailer is going to be in a rural setting (if the title hadn't told them that already). Another drawn out sound effect/ bridge is used in the cut to the next shot which is a medium shot of a man standing with his back to the camera, because this scene appears to be in the dark we can not make out his clothes properly, but he seems to be wearing a leather jacket and has a shaven head which would suggest that he is quite tough. Selective focus has also been used because it is apparent that he is standing in front of a cottage in a field, however the camera is focused mainly on the man, so that the audience will get the idea that this man is quite important character wise.
A motivated cut is used to go into the next scene and a long shot (and chiaroscuro) is used to show a man silhouetted man standing alone in a farm yard (this can be seen by the manure on the floor and the meta gates behind him)
He appears to be holding a axe which shows that there is going to be violence, this is iconography. I also feel that this weapon could be representing a phallic sign of masculinity. This idea is also proven by the fact that the man appears to be wearing heavy boots and ragged clothes. He also has a rather threatening stance and a odd head, by this I mean that he appears to have wispy hair on one side and is completely bald on the other side. By the way he is staring into the camera, he looks like he is either watching someone or waiting for them to turn around and see him.
While the man is standing a voice over is being used, it appears to be of an old man with a very strong Norfolk accent "Strangers don't fare well in these parts" which is very foreboding as it shows the audience that something bad is going to happen in the near future. This is continued as a sound bridge over a Sony Pictures label. There is then a close up of what appears to be a dead body wrapped up in plastic or a old bag, there is a quiet tearing sound which sounds like something is being cut/torn.
There is a quick birds eye view shot of a girl dressed in pink trousers and shirt with blonde hair walking into a farm house, being followed by a different man who does not look as threatening as the first male character that was shown.
We see them about to enter the house then there is a jump cut and the screen goes blank. This is then replaced by an over the shoulder shot of the shaven headed man being told to "lock his doors at night", this is the same man who was doing the voice over earlier in the sequence. He looks like the stereotype for a Norfolk farner as he appears to be in his late 50s or 60's and is wearing an overcoat and several jumpers. The stereotype is further intensified by a woman dressed in an overcoat with an anxious expression standing behind him. She appears to be his wife.
The camera switches with an over the shoulder, medium close up shot of the tough man from earlier. Up until now the atmosphere has been quite tense, this is swiftly changed as the man appears to be quite disbelieving, this is further proved when he says "You what?". He has a grin on his face as he is obviously not taking the old man seriously.
There is then a shot of some old wooden floorboards with a piece of wood on top which has the words "You're invited" in capital letters and in a red font. The red font almost looks like blood or paint. The blood is iconographic as it further suggests violence and it is also a Horror convention. It also has a slightly element of comedy about it, which will further show the audience that this is not going to be a serious film despite their first impressions.
Over the top of it there is some pipe music, which sounds like a whistle. This also shows that they are in a rural area. It also sounds suspiciously cheerful. This is followed by a two person, medium close up shot with selective focus on the man and woman that we saw walking into the house. She looks quite young and innocent as she is blonde but is frowning. The man to the side of her has glasses and appears to be prematurely balding. He seems to be focused intently on something on the wall, while she appears to be more cautious and is looking around her surroundings which are now interior. The music is still playing and it is the "Old MacDonald" tune, which is both hilarious and slightly creepy.
The shot quickly changes to an extreme close up of the tough mans face who appears to have a cut of some sort on his forehead, the audience can see this by the blood on his forehead, he gradually turns his head towards his right as if he can see something. The camera pans as well and we see him looking towards the house.
There is another blackout then a tilt shot of some overhead fluorescent lamps switching on, we then see them quickly turn off again.
There is a two shot of the two men standing together in a farm kitchen with all the lights turned off, with only the moonlight lighting up the room. They are standing together in front of the sink and the man with glasses appears to be clutching the others leather jacket as if he is scared. This is proven when he says the name of the tough man which is David, he then asks why all of the lights have gone out. He appears to have quite a squeaky voice which exemplifies the humor of his question.
The music continues and the wood from the last scene emerges again with different writing on it saying " To enjoy a weekend". The audience can tell by now that the characters are not going to enjoy their time there, this writing suggests to the audience that this is not going to be an enjoyable weekend away. The music continues as we see the next shot which is an medium close up of David holding a lighter in his hand trying to get light so he can see what objects are in the room around him, he is looking towards and above the camera and he sounds quite worried when he says "What the hell is this place".
The shot then changes to what David is apparently looking at which is an extreme close up of several photos of teeth and a family photo, but the man (supposedly the father) has his face scratched out of the picture. There is a reaction shot of David's face and several jump cuts of the other objects that he is looking at. The supposed placard comes up again with the words "in the country".
The music continues and an extreme close up of the blonde ladies face comes onto the screen, She is focused on something above the sight of the camera. The camera then goes onto the man with the glasses who is asking the lady something. He appears to have a split lip and several other facial cuts, by the awkward expression on his face, the audience are supposed to believe that the lady has beaten him up. He repeats it again more urgently in a whispered voice and she continues to stare into space. The music continues, the camera starts to slowly zoom into the mans face as he appears to realise something bad, he turns his head. We then see a montage of clips of an axe being held up in the air, and the back of the odd man from before swinging an axe. These cuts intensify the pace which shows the audience that something bad is happening, we also hear the woman scream.
We go back to the flashback of the man with the severely bruised face who decides that they should quickly leave. There is a quick flashback to the placard which says "where" at this point, the Old McDonald song starts to get louder as we go to the next shot which is another extreme close up of the same man supposedly sitting up in bed and putting his glasses on. This would suggest to the audience that something has woken him up. This is confirmed by his panicky breathing and the quick montage of shots going from his face, to the door and back again. Suddenly, a wooden panel from the bedroom door is kicked out by the man with the axe, there is a reaction shot of the man with glasses looking terrified.
As we see the farmer kicking down the door and the man trying to escape, the singing starts. The nursery rhyme is being sang by a woman and this is a complete juxtaposition to the current action because the singer sounds so cheerful. There is a quick shot back to the placard which is continuing the sentence with "trespassers".
There is a Medium close up of the blonde lady and the axe man, the lady is looking angry instead of terrified. Then a swift jump cut back to the placard which reads "will be". The shot is held for several seconds to increase the tension, then is replaced with a montage of different weapons being grabbed and unsheathed. The placard comes back with the words "mutilated".
The farmer comes into shot and he has a burnt and mutilated face, he turns and looks towards the audiences left. We then hear a horrible squelch sound and see (and hear) the man with glasses screaming like a girl. The farmer is then supposedly in a shed cutting something up. The music stops and starts so that we can hear the weapons being used, and screams. This is clever, as in the original nursery rhyme they would have had the sound of animal noises instead. This intensifies the humour.
We then see another character (who is unknown) being chased down a hill, and then having his head split in two by the axe man. Then we see a two person shot of the two brothers standing in the kitchen, with equal looks of horror. The audience are meant to imagine that they are staring at something, this is proven when they run towards the camera roaring. The audience are shown that it is the farmer, as we see a swift montage of him being punched, then a nail going into someones hand and David's face quickly moving backwards.
We see him fighting the farmer, while the man in glasses tiptoes swiftly up some stairs.
After this, there are more montages shown of fighting. However, this time we see the blonde girl punching someone, then the farmer being kicked in the privates by David and then the farmer holding the axe above his hand, supposedly to kill someone with it. Just as the tension builds we see him being kicked in the face instead.
The music disappears and is replaced by a medium close up of the blonde lady saying rather scathingly, " We are in a creepy house, in the middle of nowhere" then a close up of the man in glasses then back to the lady "What do you THINK is going to be down there?" This adds more humor and slows the pace of the action down slightly.
The music starts again, and the man in glasses is being chased by the farmer, thanks to the use of an extreme close up shot we can see that he is petrifed. There is a shot of the words "The Cottage" on a rather quaint stone block. It has flowers painted around the surface and it shows the audience that in the past everything used to be okay.
It then lights up and the song continues until a blood splatter hits the surface of the stone with a rather disgusting squelch, the screens starts to go black, with the song starting to end. The audience think it is over, until we see the man in glasses facing the farmer, with his mouth open completley speechless. The he flies out of the door, yelling and runs down a corridor towards the camera, being followed and quickly slams the door to stop the farmer. The song finishes, combined with a thump against the door as he flattens his hands against it.
The screen goes black, but then replaces itself with an medium close up of him with his eye to a keyhole (which is never a good idea in Horror films), the music starts again, but this time only with the pipes.
Then very quickly, a cleaver comes through the door (this is seen by the camera moving from the side to the back), and hits him in the forehead. The singing starts again and we see the last placard saying "Get off his land" .
The trailer ends with the placard being the last thing on screen.
The settings in this trailer appear to be the usual: Basement, isolated communities and rural e.g. the farm. The trailer also seems to have scenes taking place in both interior and exterior settings.
When it comes to Icongraphy, I would say that this trailer has most things that you would usually see in a horror trailer. These are: weapons, dark clothing, blood and low key lighting.
I would say that there is definitely an equillibrium at the beginning, but it swiftly gets disrupted and does not get repaired.
Characters:
- Villain: I feel that this would be the farmer, although admittedly the characters were tresspassing.
- The hero: This would probably be suited to David as he appears to do most of the fighting in this trailer.
- The donor/dispatcher: I feel that the old farmer and his wife would take these roles, as they do warn David at the beginning.
- The helper: I feel that this role would be suited to the woman in pink as she does seem to be rather tough and does seem to help quite a bit.
- The princess/ the father: I think that maybe the safety of the village could fit into these roles, because if they manage to kill the evil farmer then they would be saving many lives.
- The false hero: This would probably be the man we see being chased down the hill, as he looks like he could be coming to rescue them, until he gets killed that is. I also feel that the man in spectacles would adhere to this role as well, since he is a main character. Then we quickly realise that he is a bit of a coward.
- Local/ visitors
- Interior/ exterior
- Normal/ crazy
- Tough/ weak
- Brave/ cowardly
- Life/death
- Colour/ shade
- Fast/slow (pace)
- Loud/quiet
- Natural/supernatural
Themes:
- Death
- Violence
- Insanity
- Blood
- Rural
- Hate
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